FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH Cuts Holdings in Alphabet Inc. $GOOG

Key Points

• FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH cut its stake in Alphabet (GOOG) by 32.3% in Q4, selling 5,620 shares and leaving 11,767 shares valued at $3.69M (about 0.8% of the firm's portfolio and its 28th largest holding).
• Alphabet delivered strong Q1 results, beating estimates with $5.11 EPS (vs. $2.68) and $109.9B revenue (up 21.8%), and the company also lifted its quarterly dividend to $0.22 (annualized $0.88, ~0.2% yield).
• Investor activity is mixed: several institutional buyers added shares and analysts raised targets, but insiders sold roughly 158,553 shares (≈$48M) in the last 90 days, which could weigh on near‑term sentiment.

FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH reduced its position in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG - Free Report) by 32.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,767 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 5,620 shares during the quarter. Alphabet comprises about 0.8% of FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH's holdings in Alphabet were worth $3,692,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in GOOG. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 120,253 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $22,901,000 after acquiring an additional 6,410 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 76.2% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,865,304 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $330,886,000 after acquiring an additional 806,681 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter valued at about $658,000. Financial Advisors Network Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 7.7% during the second quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. now owns 7,945 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,409,000 after acquiring an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Alphabet by 10.7% during the second quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 37,310 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $6,618,000 after acquiring an additional 3,616 shares in the last quarter. 27.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alphabet Stock Up 0.0%

NASDAQ:GOOG opened at $395.30 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.78 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.25. Alphabet Inc. has a one year low of $153.83 and a one year high of $397.36. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $317.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $311.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.92.

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The information services provider reported $5.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.68 by $2.43. The business had revenue of $109.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $106.96 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 37.92%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.81 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Alphabet Inc. will post 14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alphabet Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. This is a positive change from Alphabet's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. Alphabet's payout ratio is 6.41%.

Alphabet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Alphabet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 momentum and Anthropic cloud deal continue to underpin the rally — social and analyst chatter notes a post-earnings surge, AI-fueled ad strength and a reported ~$200B Anthropic commitment that materially boosts Alphabet’s cloud backlog and revenue visibility. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets — Mizuho and other firms have raised forecasts and targets (examples around $460+), supporting upside expectations and helping push the stock higher. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying reported — a handful of funds disclosed fresh additions (Swiss National Bank, Allen Investment, Fisher Asset among others), signaling conviction from large holders. Read More. • Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: New consumer products and subscription moves could expand monetization but are early-stage — Google launched the Fitbit Air wearable and an AI health-coach subscription, which add recurring-revenue potential but are not yet material to near-term results. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: EU regulatory risk remains — Alphabet has proposed changes to news search to head off additional multibillion-euro fines, highlighting ongoing antitrust exposure that could pressure European revenue or require product changes. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider and some institutional selling — data show heavy insider sales in recent months and several large funds (Deutsche Bank, CalPERS, Madison) trimmed GOOG positions, which can cap short-term upside and increase volatility. Read More. • Read More.

Insider Transactions at Alphabet

In other Alphabet news, insider John Kent Walker sold 47,574 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.45, for a total value of $14,341,182.30. Following the transaction, the insider owned 13,227 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,987,279.15. This trade represents a 78.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Amie Thuener O'toole sold 955 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.00, for a total transaction of $284,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 9,918 shares in the company, valued at $2,955,564. This represents a 8.78% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 158,553 shares of company stock valued at $47,951,856 over the last ninety days. 12.99% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GOOG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and set a $345.00 target price on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Alphabet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Freedom Capital downgraded Alphabet from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC set a $400.00 price target on Alphabet and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-eight have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $362.73.

About Alphabet

Alphabet Inc NASDAQ: GOOG is a multinational technology holding company headquartered in Mountain View, California. Formed in 2015 through a corporate restructuring of Google, Alphabet serves as the parent to Google LLC and a portfolio of businesses collectively known as "Other Bets." Google was originally founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin; Alphabet is led by CEO Sundar Pichai, who oversees Google and the broader company while the founders remain prominent shareholders and influential figures in the company's history.

Alphabet's core business centers on internet search and advertising, with Google Search and the company's ad platforms (including Google Ads and AdSense) generating the majority of revenue by connecting advertisers with consumers worldwide.

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